A Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies Exploring Lived Experiences, Perceived Impact, and Coping Strategies of Children and Young People Whose Parents Use Substances

Cassey Muir*, Emma Adams, Vivienne Evans, Emma Geijer-Simpson, Eileen Kaner, Sophie Phillips, Domna Salonen, Deborah Smart, Lizzy Winstone, Ruth McGovern

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle (Academic Journal)peer-review

19 Citations (Scopus)
147 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Parental substance use is highly prevalent worldwide, presenting major child safeguarding and public health concerns. Qualitative research enables in-depth understanding of how young people experience parental substance use and helps inform practice and policy through illustrative cases of experiences. This review aimed to synthesize published qualitative evidence exploring the lived experiences, perceived impact, and coping strategies of children and young people whose parents use substances. International literature databases including Medline, PsycINFO, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences, Social Science Database, Sociology Collection, and Scopus were searched from inception to 2022, alongside grey literature searching and relevant websites. Qualitative accounts were included, provided by participants aged below 25 years. No language, date, or geographical limits were applied. A thematic synthesis of 35 studies, across 49 papers, covering over 700 children and young people’s voices, identified five overarching themes. These themes included, (a) living with the unpredictable: insecurity within the family; (b) social and emotional impact of parental substance use; (c) controlling the uncontrollable: creating safety within the family; (d) coping with and resisting the emotional and social impacts; and (e) formal and informal support. The findings emphasize that children and young people who experience parental substance use are trying to manage and mitigate vulnerabilities and be resilient to unpredictable, adverse, and often stigmatizing experiences, usually without formal support in place. Further research is needed to coproduce child-centered interventions that promote children and young people’s social and emotional resilience.
Original languageEnglish
Number of pages18
JournalTrauma, Violence, and Abuse
Early online date17 Nov 2022
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 17 Nov 2022

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This research was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) School for Public Health Research (SPHR), Grant Reference Number PD-SPH-2015. Cassey Muir, Sophie M. Phillips, and Lizzy Winstone are supported by the NIHR SPHR PhD Studentship Scheme, and Emma A. Adams is supported by the NIHR SPHR Pre-doctoral Fellowship Funding Scheme. Eileen Kaner is supported by an NIHR Senior Investigator award and is Director of the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration North East and North Cumbria. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2022.

Keywords

  • alcohol and drugs
  • child abuse
  • domestic abuse
  • family issues

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